Chase
by raqreqentba
Summary: Ahiru invites Fakir on a walk, hiding a devious surprise. (Fakir x Ahiru) Cross posted on Ao3 and Tumblr


Fakir had no idea how long she had stood there in the doorway. Only when the telltale creak of rusty hinges signaled her spying did he realize she was near, telling him to turn around from his desk. She seemed embarrassed she had been found but walked inside nevertheless. Ahiru's posture was shy. She fidgeted a little after she closed the door of Fakir's study behind her, like she had caused trouble and was having a hard time confessing to it. Fakir was a bit questioning, but he didn't say anything, and waited for her to speak.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she said quietly. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

He glanced to his side where his work lay, splayed across the desk in a disorderly fashion. His hand still held his quill, paused over the paper. He thought for a moment before moving his quill to place it at the side of the parchment. He didn't need to look at the clock to realize how long he had been sitting here. The shadows cast were long, and his pile of finished writings that was nonexistent at the beginning of the day was now towering.

He slowly pushed his chair away from the table and stood, turning around to nod at her. "Give me a minute to clean up, and I'll meet you by the door."

She smiled widely and relaxed, obviously relieved, but she still nervously tumbled over her words. "Okay! I think it'll be dark soon, I guess, just letting you know, so it'll be a short one. I'll see you at the door, then!"

She nodded a little nervous goodbye and twirled on her heel, quickly leaving the stifling room. He took a few slow seconds to stretch and tidy his hair before doing the same. As he walked the hallway to his room, a strange jolt of nerves hit him. He mused over this feeling as he changed into warmer clothes and washed his hands of the ink as best he could. What was with Ahiru? Why was she so nervous about a walk? It wasn't uncommon for her and Fakir to do little things like that. Sometimes, when he was trying to get a lot of work done at once, she would check on him, help remind him to take care of himself, and that was fine. He appreciated it immensely and enjoyed her company. But they had been in this routine for a long enough time that she shouldn't be worried about something small like a walk.

' _Because it's nearly night…?_ ' He considered this and other possibilities in his head as she walked down the stairs to meet with her. When he saw her, he gave her a small nod.

She opened the front door to him. "Let's go, then."

They shuffled out and locked the door behind them, and as usual, they slowly meandered around the house to the nearby trails through the woods. Fakir let her slowly walk ahead of him, keeping a curious eye on her. He still was trying to figure out what was going on with her, but before he could get too deep into thought, Ahiru turned around and stood in front of him at a stop. She had a strange expression on her face, like she was trying to stifle a smile, trying to keep a secret as long as possible. He stopped in turn and silently questioned her. As he looked her in the eye, she suddenly became shy and looked down.

He sighed a bit, smiling to himself. "What's on your mind?" he asked her, quietly and kindly. "You're up to something."

Ahiru fidgeted, his gentle demeanor making her even more nervous. "I was, well," she looked up a bit, maybe watching his torso or something to his side. He wasn't absolutely sure. "I was… Wondering. About something. I was thinking… We could try," she mumbled.

"… Yes?"

She looked extremely embarrassed, but instead of awkwardly brushing aside the topic like he expected, she looked up and glared at him defiantly, as if he was the source of her troubles. "… I'm not telling you. Yet."

Fakir scowled slightly, unhappy at being teased. Before he could respond, however, she took a few dancing steps backwards away from him. It was strange, and he watched her carefully.

"I'll tell you," she said. Her face was turning red, but she was smiling. "I'll tell you if you catch me!"

Before he could respond, she turned and sprinted off, leaving him in the dust. "Wait! What!?" he called after her, shocked into stillness.

It took him a moment to realize he needed to be running too. "Wait! Ahiru!?"

He stumbled after her, caught completely unawares, and it took him a minute for his motor skills to work properly. _Was she trying to forcefully give him exercise?_ He followed instinctively instead of pouting, which was something he would have done in the past, and he shook his head a little bit at the ridiculousness of it all. _Ah, well_. Ahiru was good at making him relax and stop thinking. He was bad at doing that on his own.

For the first bit, she stayed on the path that led into the sparse trees of the forest, but it wasn't long before she turned, made a face at him, and jumped over a fallen log off the trail. Fakir groaned to himself, wanting to figure out in his mind what was going on, but her unpredictability, as well as the unfamiliar and shadowy pathway, kept his focus. He bounded over it with ease, but as he landed, he realized he didn't notice where she had gone from there. The random foliage made it impossible to track her without stopping to examine it.

"Ahiru!" he called, scanning the trees as best he could while still moving, but a whistle to his left caught his attention. Figuring it was her, he followed it, working around obstacles as best he could while still going straight. He called her name again, hoping for another lead, and was rewarded with another response.

As he circled another large bush, he again caught sight of her red hair highlighted by the dusk, as well as the familiar trail they had walked many other nights. She must have looped him around, and he silently thanked her for it, but there wasn't much time to dwell on it. Her laughter drifted towards him and she again left the trail, this time to the right. Luckily for Fakir, it was a clearer area, filled with tall trees whose' bare autumn branches came nowhere near the forest floor, and his sight was clear. He could easily see her weave through the trees. "Ahiru!" He called after her again, but she didn't stop.

In fact, it was now that he realized he might be in trouble. His stamina was nothing compared to hers and the lack of bramble here made her speed up. He needed to catch her now, while he could see her, if he ever wanted to…

To what? Why was he even chasing her, entertaining her game? He laughed out loud as he realized how silly this all was, chasing Ahiru around a forest, and immediately broke into a sprint with sudden determination.

Why was she running? What did she have to tell him? What was his reward? His excitement rose as her figure drew closer and closer. He couldn't see her face from behind her, but her skirt flowed like water behind her and her braid was a beautiful accent against the fluttering cloth. Suddenly, he didn't really care what she wanted to tell him. He just wanted to catch her, to win, to see her turn around and look at him, her face flushed and panting, smiling wide as always. He wanted to see that, and now. He was almost on her, almost in reach of her. His blood roared. He was ecstatic.

With a final burst of speed, he threw out his hand, trying to reach for her arm. But as he lunged forward, he lost his balance slightly and went too far, not only grabbing her arm but yanking her backwards into him. She shrieked with laughter as she collided with him. Her weight pushed him over into old leaves which did little to cushion their fall.

Fakir let out a pained wheeze as they flopped gracelessly on the ground, and he laid there for a moment on his back, doing a quick inventory to make sure the crack he heard was just the branches (which it was). A large sigh escaped him as he relaxed. It wasn't until he heard her protests did he realize he was clutching Ahiru to his chest in a near vice grip. He blushed and let her go, but she didn't move to stand or distance herself. She only rolled a bit to the side onto her back, and she laid there with him on the forest floor, looking up through the high tree canopy as they both gasped for breath after their game.

Ahiru didn't have much time to rest before Fakir rolled over on top of her and pinned her down.

He stared down at her for a moment, watching her. His blood still flowed in his ears and his heart raced. They both dripped with sweat and their breathing was heavy, and just as he thought, her face was a beautiful red. She returned his gaze, watching him gasp, watching his chest heave… And she smiled gently.

It wasn't the huge grin Fakir had been expecting, and it struck him.

"… You…." He stammered a bit, trying to find the words. "… You look lovely."

Ahiru looked away from his eyes, squirming a bit underneath him. She said nothing, but she didn't really need to, for Fakir took the moment to let his hormones lead the way. "Look at me," he murmured, and she turned to look at him quickly, surprised by his tone. Seeing her face, he slowly lowered his head to brush his lips against her cheek, a strange and unfamiliar gift of affection. He closed his eyes and lowered his head to touch his forehead to the crook of her shoulder. There he rested, breathing softly. Ahiru was not tense in the slightest, and he relished in her trust. After a moment, he drew back to look down at her, and as he watched her slowly open her eyes, his chest felt as if it was going to burst.

He opened and closed his mouth awkwardly, trying to find his words, but slowly his throat tightened and he closed his eyes, hanging his head. She moved under him a bit, and he let her slide his arm out from under her body. "Fakir…" she murmured, a feeling of deep concern in her voice. "What's wrong?"

He stayed silent, moving back over to the side to lay next to her. She let him move as he willed, and as he settled, she reached out and stroked his hair. Ahiru was patient and she waited for him to speak, even if she was surprised he wasn't talking about any reward for catching her.

After a few minutes, he turned to look at her in the eyes. She had the same small smile, the same gentle expression, and he remembered in the back of his mind her time as Princess Tutu. He bit his lip before moving to sit upright, holding her hand and pulling her up with him to sit upright, and she followed, watching him patiently. They sat together on the fallen leaves of the forest, and he finally spoke.

"Ahiru," Fakir started, his voice strained but resolute. His hands trembled, and the lingering feeling of his pursuit of her gave him courage. "I love you. I love you so much." His voice broke at the end as he realized what he was really doing, and he looked ashamed, but he continued. "You're beautiful and kind, and I… I love you. I'm sorry I'm telling you now, for the first time, now of all times, but I…"

Ahiru's hand moved over Fakir's and he quieted, looking down at their hands together. He moved his other hand to rest on hers and he caressed her. He drew her hand up to his lips and held it there, his lips resting on her fingers, and he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again to look at Ahiru, her eyes were deep and watery. She nodded a bit, a silent acknowledgement, and spoke in return. "I love you too. For a very long time, I've loved you." Her voice was serene, and it made Fakir think of the stars.

"Will you hold me? Please?" she asked.

Fakir quietly nodded to her, and gently laid her hand down on his lap before shifting over to rest his back against a nearby tree, pulling her with him, and leading her to sit on his lap. He shivered as his blood flowed in response to the situation, and he swallowed, letting her direct her own weight to get comfortable.

She settled on his lap prettily, resting a hand on his shoulder to steady herself and using her other to adjust her skirt to sit on his legs. Once she was rested, she moved her other hand to his waist. This brought her chest so very close to him, and Fakir became incredibly embarrassed at how close she was to him, but ignored it and rested his hands to support her. They wrapped around her shoulders and hips and she leaned into his chest, nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder.

His heart raced as he watched her move so delicately, so demurely, and as her chest moved, his blood flowed to send chills down his spine. Fakir struggled to think for a moment through a hazy fog and blinked a few times to try and clear his mind.

"Fakir?"

He swallowed. "Yes?"

"… Kiss me?"

Ah… A kiss? A _kiss_? His heart shuddered. Lovely little Ahiru who he held in his arms… _Kissing_ her?

"Y-Yeah."

She looked up at him and he struggled to stay calm. She was cute, adorable, so very much, and it was difficult to keep his head. He froze, blinking a few times, but Ahiru waited for him. He breathed slowly to calm himself, and she closed her eyes, holding her face up to him, and he slowly tilted his head down to touch her lips.

He touched her like she was glass, barely touching her at first, afraid of missing, but once he knew he had succeeded, he closed his eyes. He held his breath and pressed a bit harder against her, and she responded with a delicate hum of appreciation and a returning pressure. He drew back for a moment, moving his hand from her shoulder to her head, and pushed back down to her, letting her rest her weight completely in his hands as Fakir cared for her.

Over and over he kissed her, lightly, moving from her top lip to her bottom lip, to the corners of her mouth… Before he knew it, she had gently parted her lips, and he did the same, tilting his head a little more to feel her in a different way. Even though they did not deepen the kiss very much, their lips holding the others' was a unique and pleasant feeling. His mind was quiet and he followed his instinct, touching her with care but with enough feeling to show he meant every word he had said before.

The minute they parted, however, Fakir flushed comically and hung his head in shame. _God in Heaven,_ he thought to himself. _What is this? What's going on?_

Ahiru laughed at his honest reaction and hugged him tight. "Fakir!" she said, nuzzling his head with her cheek. "Fakir. Fakir, I love you. I'm happy!"

"Don't laugh at me…" he whined.

"I'm sorry. I'm really excited! I'm really happy!" It was true. Her happiness shone from her expression and tone, warming Fakir to the core.

He looked at her, slightly frustrated, but moved past the topic. "Why on Earth are we in the woods doing this?" he asked her. "Why did you have me chase you out here? For this?"

She blushed, looking away. She squirmed like a kid in response to his firm tone. "… Maybe."

"Are you serious?"

"Well, I…!" Ahiru tried to say something in defense, but trailed off weakly. "… You're mean, Fakir."

"Anyone would think this is weird!" he said. He was giving her a hard time, but it was out of a strange affection he was feeling at the moment. "Something so…"

He wanted to say stupid, but couldn't. It was a mean thing to call her stupid, no matter what, and honestly, Ahiru's plan was smart. She put pressure on him to follow her by running off without warning, taking away risk of anxiety. To run and play with her, chasing her like that… Both of their adrenaline made the situation after he caught her happen. It made him confident and excited enough to say something so strange. That confession… It probably would have been said by Ahiru if he didn't beat her to it unexpectedly.

But what happened afterwards, their kisses… At the memory, Fakir groaned and covered his face in embarrassment. "Ahiru! Why did you do this…?" All he could do was ask the air. He didn't say it was bad. He couldn't say it was wrong at all.

Right as he was thinking those shameful thoughts, Ahiru spoke to him. Her voice was small. "Was it really no good?"

It was the silliest situation in the world, Fakir thought firmly to himself. It was so silly, and what was even sillier was that it worked. He felt the same happiness that she had been proclaiming just moments before. It was just that he felt so embarrassed, so, so embarrassed that it worked!

Fakir's hands feel from his face ad a symbol of defeat. "… I'm happy, too," he mumbled. "I'm… Happy."

She stared at him with her big, sparkling, blue eyes. He looked away. _God_ , he thought to himself. _God in heaven…_

She tried to be serious, but her voice could not hide its excitement. "You're happy?" asked Ahiru.

"Yes. But don't ever make us do something like this again," he said. "… Just… Because it's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" she echoed. She looked down. "Yeah, I guess it was. It's too dark for tag. I'm sorry."

That is what Fakir meant. But Fakir also felt that his own self could possibly be part of the danger. He couldn't tell her that.

Ahiru took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"Let's go home," she said. Her voice was like the sun.

Suddenly, Fakir felt like he was going to cry. This was all really happening, he thought. Sweet little Ahiru. Their home they shared was waiting for them just down the path. Now, sharing that home with her had a different meaning.

Ahiru stood from his lap, turning and then pulling on his hand. "Come on."

He looked up at her. She was smiling. Her hand was warm.

It was hard to speak around the lump in his throat. "… Yeah."


End file.
